2009 CFN Mountain West Preview
Team Previews & Predictions
- Air
Force |
BYU |
Colorado State |
New
Mexico
- San
Diego State |
TCU |
UNLV |
Utah |
Wyoming
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2009
CFN Mountain West Preview
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2009
CFN All-Mountain West Team & Top 30 Players
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2009
CFN Mountain West Team Capsules
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2009
Mountain West Schedules & CFN Picks
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2009
Mountain West Unit Rankings
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2008
CFN Mountain West Preview
By
Pete Fiutak
It's time to change up your focus, Mountain West.
The world wants a college football playoff, and no
one would really have that much of an issue if the
Mountain West got an automatic bid to the BCS, but
after unsuccessfully lobbying to change up the
system and to force some better way to figure out
who the national champion is, the league and its
fans need to do a better job of understanding the
realities of the situation and be able to work
within those confines.
Under the current BCS system, there will almost
always be a team from the non-BCS leagues in one of
the big games. All a non-BCS league team has to do is finish in the top 12 of the rankings or finish in the top 16, with a champion
from one of the BCS leagues finishing lower. That's
not asking a lot, and if the Mountain West can't do
that, it doesn't deserve to have a team in the BCS.
However, the Mountain West's biggest problem will be
to fight itself and to keep the national perception
of the league high. And it also needs to train its
eye on one program.
Boise State
The BCS powers-that-be aren't going to be the ones
keeping the Mountain West out of the BCS at this
point, Boise State is. Conference USA isn't going to
get into the BCS in the foreseeable future (too many
barriers, too much parity, too tough a
non-conference schedule), and forget about the MAC
and Sun Belt. Boise State is the only non-BCS
program that can boot out the Mountain West by going
unbeaten, and it would've happened last year had
Utah not been undefeated. The fight will be to
convince the world that a two-loss Mountain West
champion is still deserving to finish in the top 12
overall and is better than a one-loss Boise State
(or a one-loss WAC champion). The question and the
discussion could be moot if the Mountain West takes
care of business on its own.
Can the league get a team into the national
championship? Absolutely. It has to finish in the
top two, and if BYU can beat Oklahoma and Florida
State, and if it goes unbeaten, there will certainly
be a groundswell of support to get the Cougars into
Pasadena. TCU could also have a shot if it goes
unbeaten, including wins over Virginia and Clemson,
but it would be a tougher fight, while Utah, after
what happened last year, might get a ton of respect
and plenty of consideration for the top two if it
finishes without a blemish including wins over
Oregon and Louisville. But that's not the point for
the league right now.
The goal is to be a regular in the BCS, and despite
what the Mountain West might have you believe, one
of its teams can do that. The automatic bid is there
for the taking, whether it seems like it or not.
Team That Will Surprise
TCU ... but only because the final record
will be so good. The offense won't be anything
special, but the defense will be a killer and the
special teams might be the best in America. The
Horned Frogs will get on the national map with early
wins at Virginia and Clemson, and they'll be in the
Mountain West title hunt all season long with a shot
at getting to a BCS game.
Team That Will Disappoint
Utah. Coming off a year when the Utes were
in the national title discussion, 2009 will see a
drop-off mainly because of the schedule. The defense
will be solid, the ground game will be bruising, and
the overall play will be at a high level again, but
games at San Jose State (don't laugh, the Spartans
are good), Oregon, Colorado State, TCU, and BYU form
one of the toughest road slates any top team has to
deal with.
Game of the Year
TCU at BYU, Oct. 24. The Cougars will be
looking for payback after getting obliterated by
Jerry Hughes and the Horned Frog defense last year.
This year's showdown should determine the Mountain
West title and a shot at a BCS game.
5 Big-Time Players Who Deserve A Bigger
Spotlight
1. WR Ryan Wolfe, Sr. UNLV
2. DT John Fletcher, Sr. Wyoming
3. C Erik Cook, Sr. New Mexico
4. CB Rafael Priest, Sr. TCU
5. WR Dion Morton, Sr. Colorado State
Coach On The Hot Seat
Mike Sanford, UNLV. After going 11-36 in
four years, Sanford has to prove that his spread
attack can finally bring results to Las Vegas. The
Rebels were close to a bowl game last year before
dying down the stretch, but even though injuries
were an issue, results are all that matter this year
in a league that just got an infusion of new
coaching talent.
5 Non-Conference Games Mountain West
Opponents Had Better
Take Very, Very, Seriously
1. Florida State at BYU, Sept. 19
2. TCU at Clemson, Sept. 26
3. Oregon State at UNLV, Sept. 12
4. New Mexico at Texas A&M, Sept. 5
5. San Diego State at UCLA, Sept. 5
Bold Prediction
BYU will get blown away by Oklahoma in the
season opener and then will run the table on the way
to a BCS game. The defense will be more consistent
and far better than it was last year, while QB Max
Hall will overcome a shaky performance against the
Sooners to settle down and come up with an
All-America caliber season. The team will get better
and better as the year goes on.
5 Best Pro Prospects
1. DE Jerry Hughes, Sr. TCU
2. TE Dennis Pitta, Sr. BYU
3. LB Daryl Washington, Sr. TCU
4. OT Zane Beadles, Sr. Utah
5. LB Stevenson Sylvester, Sr. Utah
5 Biggest Shoes To Fill
1. QB Corbin Louks for Brian Johnson, Utah
2. WR McKay Jacobson for Austin Collie, BYU
3. RB John Mosure for Gartrell Johnson, Colorado
State
4. DE Derrick Shelby for Paul Kruger, Utah
5. DE Myles Morales for Jake Paulsen, Air Force
-
2009
CFN Mountain West Preview
-
2009
CFN All-Mountain West Team & Top 30 Players
-
2009
CFN Mountain West Team Capsules
-
2009
Mountain West Schedules & CFN Picks
-
2009
Mountain West Unit Rankings
-
2008
CFN Mountain West Preview